Macroalgae blooms and δ15N in subtropical coastal lagoons from the Southeastern Gulf of California: Discrimination among agricultural, shrimp farm and sewage effluents

Abstract

Macroalgae blooms of Gracilaria vermiculophylla, Hypnea spinella and Spyridia filamentosa have been found in coastal lagoons in the SE Gulf of California. Agriculture, livestock, shrimp and poultry farms and sewage contribute anthropogenic nitrogen to the systems. The δ15N of these sources, water column and macroalgae were studied in order to identify the N supply for macroalgae blooms. δ15N of three species of macroalgae (4.3–13.6‰) were enriched compared to the water column (δ15N–NO3- 3.7–6.8‰), probably because of fractioning from the macroalgae. δ15N of POM (1.4–10.3‰) was similar to the water column but the relationship was unclear. Depending on the site, macroalgae showed different δ15N values since some sites receive more or less influence from one given source of the associated watershed, which is reflected in the different δ15N values of the macroalgae of the same system and in the relative contributions of the sources.